Welcome home King Richard III

Until recently I knew very little about King Richard III. He was the villain William Shakespeare portrayed in his play that I studied in second year. In these lectures I learnt that the King was a true Machiavellian prince, who schemed his way to the top, deceiving and killing those closest to him. He died heroically in the Battle of Bosworth and his remains were lost for more than 5 centuries. Then, in 2012 when an archaeological excavation was carried out in a Leicester car park (not very royal!) and in 2013 the University of Leicester confirmed that that skeleton was that of Richard III, his history began to unfold.

Today King Richard was brought into Leicester Cathedral to be buried and being a big history geek I eagerly went along to see if I could get a glimpse of man (well coffin) for myself! The coffin, which was made by a descendant of Richard, was pulled along by horses which were led by men in armour. The crowds were throwing flowers and cheering, at last, the King received the glory and adoration he craved whilst alive.

Two completely different centuries were brought together today, which was incredible to witness, because it isn’t everyday that a 15th century King is on the same street as Ladbrokes! Leicester doesn’t always receive the best press but today the buzz of city was amazing. Everyone was in high spirits and proud to see the return of King Richard III to Leicester! What is great about this event is that it is not over today, all week the city is holding events so that the public can learn more about this historic occasion! To find out more visit http://www.visitleicester.info/visitleicester.aspx